ASHEVILLE – Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz made his Asheville debut during a rainy rally in the mountain city, calling the crowd “the best rally crowd” the vice presidential nominees campaign has seen as the Tar Heel state remains a pivotal battleground in the 2024 election.
Often with raucous cheers from the crowd, Walz spoke for around 40 minutes, focus on topics of gun violence, reproductive healthcare and Vice President Kamala Harris’ historic candidacy, while going on the attack against his Republican opponents and taking shots at North Carolina Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson.
Speaking to the large and tightly packed crowd at Asheville’s Salvage Station, the speech highlighted renewed energy for the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee in an area that has typically “gone blue” amid a sea of traditionally Republican Western North Carolina counties. Prior to Walz taking the stage, attendees danced in the mud, sang and drank beer as songs by Prince, BeeGees, Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus played.
Polls indicate that whoever wins the state will do so by a razor-thin margin. The latest Real Clear Polling average has Trump winning by four-tenths of a percent—within the margin of error.
Walz’s biggest cheers came from his comments on reproductive rights. Referring to state Republicans moving to restrict access to abortion, Walz told them to “mind their own damn business.”
“We don’t want to have to go talk about this private stuff—stay out of our business—but we have to,” Walz said. “Because what I know is: if these guys win and get their way, they made it clear today—they’re not just going after abortion.”
Walz also addressed gun violence. Both he and Harris are self-proclaimed gun owners, yet Harris has worked on legislation that calls on states to pass red flag laws. Red flag laws allow family members or law enforcement to seek a court order to temporarily remove access from a gun if they believe a gun owner may harm themselves or others.
“We support the second amendment, but you don’t get to hide behind that when our first responsibility is to the safety of our children,” Walz said, later pointing out that many of the children killed in the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School would’ve been seniors in high school this year.
Earlier in the day, Walz addressed a crowd in Macon, Georgia, about the recent apparent second assassination attempt on Trump in West Palm Beach, Florida, and the shooting at Apalachee High in Winder, Georgia, that left four dead.
“These are the people who are spending all their time trying to ban books from our schools, but they can’t spend a minute banning assault weapons from our school,” Walz said, which received cheers from the crowd.
Prodding Trump on crowd sizes, talking Harris’ historic candidacy
Walz didn’t shy away from attacking Trump or his running-mate Ohio Sen. JD Vance, as the Minnesota Governor looked back on the former president’s performance during the debate in which Trump discussed conspiracy theories that immigrants are eating pet in Springfield, Ohio, and doubled down on the claim that he won the 2020 election due to voter fraud, despite the claim being dismissed in numerous court cases.
With a jubilant crowd in Asheville — often responding to Walz with raucous applause or approval — the vice-presidential nominee took the opportunity to prod Trump’s perceived obsession with rally sizes, again.
“He would be curious to know this crowd in Asheville is far bigger than he ever got,” Walz said, noting that Harris had “baited” Trump during the debate.
Walz also took aim at the North Carolina Republican gubernatorial candidate, commenting that if you searched the entire population of America “you would not find a worse candidate than Mark Robinson.”
North Carolina’s gubernatorial race between Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein and Republican Lt. Gov. Robinson has become the heated center of the state’s politics in recent weeks as the Trump-endorsed Robinson faces scrutiny over a nonprofit he ran and over comments regarding his policies on abortion.
Trump visited Asheville Aug. 14, at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium in downtown Asheville, garnering a rally size of around 2,055. Salvage Station has a reported outdoor capacity of around 3,000.
Walz also brought up the historic nature of Harris’s campaign, where she would become the first woman elected to the highest office of the United States.
“Cracks in the glass ceilings aren’t enough. We need to make sure that that glass ceiling is shattered,” Walz said.
Near the end of the rally, Walz again turned to the theme of democracy.
“I’m trying with everybody else to make the case that we’re in this together. We can chart a new way forward,” Walz said. “Hell, I get it. You are out here. You’re standing in the rain. You’re giving your money. You’re knocking on doors. But, my god, what a privilege to fight for the democracy.”
More: Republican Mark Robinson, NC gov. candidate in Burnsville: ‘We’re right about everything’
More: Kamala Harris sinks her teeth into NC holding two post-debate rallies
More: Republican Mark Robinson, NC gov. candidate in Burnsville: ‘We’re right about everything’
Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at [email protected]. Consider supporting this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Tim Walz calls Asheville crowd ‘the best,’ probes Trump on rally sizes
